Interview of the President by Diana Moukalled, Future Television of Lebanon
March 9, 2006
The Map Room

10:40 A.M. EST

Q Mr. President, thank you for receiving Future Television. As you
know, head of U.N. inquiry, Serge Brammertz, will present his report to the
Security Council in a few days. How should the international community
respond if the report concluded that Syria did not fully cooperate with the
inquiry, as previous efforts did?

THE PRESIDENT: Our position is, is that we want to know the truth and we
expect all parties to be forthcoming with the truth. The truth is really
important to help Lebanon meet a goal that we want for Lebanon, which is
free of foreign interference, democratic and peaceful, so that people can
realize dreams, and so the great country of Lebanon can grow and prosper
like I'm confident it can.

So the United States will constantly remind all parties that we seek the
truth and we expect parties, when asked about the truth, to be forthcoming
with the truth. I'm worried about people who stall and hope that the world
turns a blind eye to a terrible death. And we're not going to turn a blind
eye. We will keep focused on this important issue, because we believe in
the future of Lebanon.

Q From what you say, many in Lebanon fear that there might be a deal
between Washington and Damascus. In other words, if Damascus complied with
Washington demands regarding Iraq, regarding Hezbollah and Hamas, would you
let the inquiry not reach its ultimate?

THE PRESIDENT: Part of our desires for Damascus is, of course, to shut
down terrorist bases in their country; and is, of course, to stop
cross-border infiltration into Iraq; is, of course, to stop allowing people
to find safe haven to plot and plan attacks in the neighborhood. But part
of our demands was to -- was 1559, which is, completely out of Lebanon.
And so there are no deals. We are people who believe that when we say
something, we've got to keep our word. And again I repeat to you, I think
that the light of truth is very important toward establishing a peace that
we all want in the region.

I really do want young boys and girls in Lebanon to be able to grow up in a
world free of violence. Lebanon is a fabulous country; Beirut is one of
the great international cities of all time. And it's in the world's
interest that this democracy survive, and not only survive, but flourish
and thrive. And so we don't -- we really aren't going to deal away
Lebanon's future.

Q Regarding U.N. resolution 1559, the Lebanese government says that it
wants to reach a true result with the issue through a national dialogue --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q -- and you have demanded repeatedly that Lebanon should implement this
resolution. Will you give the Lebanese government a chance to resolve this
issue through national dialogue, or you will exercise more pressure?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it's very important that the national dialogue
process succeed. The truth of the matter is that peace in Lebanon is going
to be achieved by Lebanese leaders, people in Lebanon who are dedicated to
the future. The United States can -- we can work, we can help, we can
pressure Syria, or we can do things, but what we can't do is to force
people to be courageous in the name of peace. That's up to Lebanon's
people themselves -- the people of Lebanon themselves. The Lebanese must
stand up and say, we demand a open and free and transparent society so we
can live in peace.

We'll help, but courage comes from within people's souls. And we have been
encouraged by courage being shown by those who believe in Lebanon's future.

Q Are you following the national dialogue that's happening now in
Lebanon?

THE PRESIDENT: I am.

Q Many believe that without international efforts, this dialogue will
not succeed, where other parties think that the American pressure is
keeping Lebanese from reaching an agreement.

THE PRESIDENT: No, I hope -- I believe that an agreement can be reached.
I understand the talks have been suspended for a week, but they will be
ongoing, and I think it's a very important part of the Lebanese folks
putting aside past -- the past, and focusing on a bright future. And we
will help and we will encourage, but ultimately the decisions have to be
made by the Lebanese citizens that they want something better than violence
and war and division.

Q The two controversial items are the ousting of President Emile Lahoud
and the disarming of Hezbollah.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q What's your comment? What --

THE PRESIDENT: Our position is clear: 1559, which we strongly support,
says that armed militias should be disarmed, and secondly, we believe that
the President ought to be independent, ought to be someone who will
strongly represent the interests of the Lebanese people.

THE PRESIDENT: My comment is, is that armed militias should disarm. And I
think it's very important to understand that democracy -- you can't have a
democracy if political parties have their own armed force. Our position is
that the Lebanese forces ought to be in control of the security of Lebanon,
for the good of the people.

Q What's your position regarding ousting President Emile Lahoud?

THE PRESIDENT: Again, I repeat to you, I think the characteristics for the
President ought to be somebody who is independent-minded, somebody who
focuses on his -- the future of the country, somebody who understands that
foreign influences inside of a country can be very negative.

Q Mr. President, as you know, the situation in Iraq is really
deteriorating, the country is on the edge of a civil war. The support for
U.S. policies among Arab public opinion is -- it's minimal. Many believe
that you are focusing on Lebanon to divert attention from what's going on
in Iraq, or it's a part of a whole scenario to control the region. Why did
Lebanon get so much of your attention in the past year, whereas Syria
controlled Lebanon for 30 years?

THE PRESIDENT: Because I believe in democracy. I believe democracy yields
peace. That's a historical -- it's been proven throughout history that
democracies yield the peace we all want. And I repeat to you: I want
young boys and girls in Lebanon to grow up in peace. It's what I want.

I am -- I want the same thing for Iraq. I want Iraq to be a democracy --
not a U.S. democracy, but a democracy that takes into the -- the
traditions, the Iraqi traditions and the history of Iraq, just like the
Lebanese democracy will reflect the history of Lebanon and the traditions
of Lebanon.

I believe there are such things as universal values, and I believe
everybody desires to be free. And it's difficult in Iraq, no question
about it. But I want -- I want you to remember that the Iraqi people
expressed their opinion last December about civil war. Eleven million
people went to vote in difficult conditions saying, we want freedom and we
want democracy; give us a chance. And I'm convinced, ultimately, the
people's will will win out and defeat those who want to try to create a
civil war. Our position in the Middle East, and throughout the Muslim
world, is that we want to be a partner in peace; we want to help people
realize their potential.

And I hear the -- I hear the language about the United States, that United
States is anti-Islam. It's just not true. We view Islam as a religion of
peace -- or that the United States has got this design. But we'll protect
ourselves. But the best way to protect ourselves ultimately is to
encourage good relations amongst Muslim people and to encourage democracy.
That's what we want. We want people to be able to be free. We want there
to be minority rights and human rights; we want there to be women's rights.
We believe in societies where women have got a chance to realize their
dreams. We want there to be good education and good health care, and to
the extent that people want our help, we're willing to help.

Q But so far, you're not winning the hearts and minds of Arab people.
Why not?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's -- there's a lot of negative news on TV.
There's a -- the enemy to democracy has got one tool, and that is the
capacity and willingness to kill innocent people. And that shocks people.
People of good conscience grieve when they see innocent life being taken by
car bombs or when they read about beheadings.

And it's really important for those of us who believe in peace and the
civilized world -- it's not civilized to kill innocent people, nor do I
think it's religious. It's very important for us to be steadfast and
strong and have faith in the capacity of freedom to help answer people's
desires and change society for the better.

My dream is for there to be a Palestinian state at peace with Israel. My
dream is for Lebanon's democracy to flourish. My hope is that Iraq's
democracy will serve as an example for others, and so people can realize
their potential. And I believe this is going to happen. But there are
people who want to stop that progress. And I know that. But I'm a firm
believer in the future, and we'll continue to work in a way that tries to
share our deepest desires to help people, that will try to combat some of
the ugly news people see on the TV with positive policies that uplift
lives, give people a chance.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Unfortunately, we ran out of time.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you for coming.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm honored you would come all the way from Beirut to
interview me.